


Feeling Dedicated (AKA Side B)

by OhYaBettaDont



Series: Dedicated [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Flashbacks, Fluff, Found Family, Leon is non-binary, Living Together, M/M, Piers can be a little vulgar, Piers is trans, a little hurt/comfort, as a treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24563389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhYaBettaDont/pseuds/OhYaBettaDont
Summary: This is going to be an ongoing collection of shorter stories that take place in the Dedicated universe. Most of them will probably be fluff fics centered around Piers and Leon, but other friends will probably make appearances too!I'll do my best to mention in the individual summaries where each story takes place in the timeline.Also: I'm going to try really hard to keep this at a T rating! A lot of my fics end up smuttier than intended but I"m really going to try and avoid anything other than vague mentions of sex in these stories
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Mary | Marnie, Dande | Leon/Nezu | Piers
Series: Dedicated [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684693
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	1. Got to Know for Sure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon has something he needs to tell Piers, now, before he loses his nerve.  
> This story takes place in between Say Nothing's Impossible and More Than a Fantasy.

Piers moving in was one of the best things that had ever happened to Leon.

With Piers around, he ate healthier, he slept better, and he even noticed he’d started doing better at the Battle Tower. As far as Leon was concerned, things were damn near perfect now that he and his boyfriend lived together.

Aside from a small, growing anxiety.

There was one serious conversation he’d been putting off having with Piers. It was something potentially life-changing, hopefully for the better but quite possibly for the worse depending on how Piers reacted to it. And Leon, of course, was never good at timing these things, so he found himself working up the nerve to ask his boyfriend a question as they sat on the couch together, Piers asleep on Leon’s shoulder. They’d been watching a movie, but Piers had fallen asleep before it ended and Leon had watched the last 13 or 14 minutes of the movie by himself.

Leon had to wake Piers up before he lost his courage. He nudged him, whispering, “Piers?”

“Hm?” Piers grunted, stirring. “Oh, I fell asleep.” He adjusted himself, and Leon thought for a second that he might get off the couch, but instead, Piers scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Leon’s arm and resting his head back on Leon’s shoulder. “How did the movie end? Did they win?” His voice was breathy, lethargic.

Perhaps out of habit or perhaps to try and calm himself, Leon ran his free hand through Piers’s thick, coarse hair. “No, they came in last place.” He was still whispering, even though they were alone in the condo.

“Aw. That sucks,” Piers murmured, clearly still half asleep.

Leon could tell that Piers could fall back asleep at any second. If he didn’t act now, then he might permanently lose his nerve and this conversation might never happen. “Hey Piers?” he said, not quite whispering anymore.

“Hm?”

“Can you tell me about your transition?” The words spilled out. They had to, or they would’ve gotten stuck inside him. Was it the best way to bring this up? Maybe not, but _is_ there a best way?

Piers sat up straighter, still holding Leon’s arm but no longer putting any weight on him. “Sure, love. What do ya wanna know?

“Like, uh, when did you know you were trans?”

“Hard to say,” Piers replied, lazily playing with a lock of Leon’s hair. _Fuck,_ he was cute when he was sleepy. “It kinda happened… like, little by little, and then all at once. If that makes sense.”

It didn’t.

Piers continued. “I’d say it started after my parents died. Things were hard, y’know? I was twelve at the time, so I was startin’ to go through puberty and shite, and without parents around to help me learn who and what I was, I had to figure it out on me own. Plus I was takin’ care of Marnie, who was still a baby. I guess that’s a different story, though.” His fingers lost interest in Leon’s hair and moved to his beard. Leon wanted to kiss those fingers that stroked his beard, but he didn’t. He just let them innocently wander and feel.

“So, puberty made you dysphoric?” Leon pressed, trying to make sure Piers would stay awake through his own story.

“Aye. Every day I’d wake up hatin’ the way I looked even more than the day before. They told me it was normal and that I’d grow out of it, but even back then, I knew they were wrong. I knew this wasn’t normal ‘cause I wasn’t treated normal. I wore baggy clothes to hide my body, and between the way I dressed and the way I acted, everyone treated me like I was gay.” The hand on Leon’s beard moved to rest on his thigh as Piers snickered wearily. “Turns out I was gay, just not in the way everyone thought I was. Things just kinda snapped into place one day when I realized I’m not a straight girl, I’m a gay man.”

Gay. That was a word Piers used to describe himself often, and it was part of the reason why Leon was so damn nervous right now. He had to ask about it. “So, you’re… gay, right? Like, _gay_ gay?”

Releasing their interlocked arms, Piers tilted his head to look quizzically at Leon’s face. “…Aye?”

Leon swallowed. His throat went dry. “So, you only like men?”

Piers narrowed his eyes at Leon. “Aye.”

“Would you, uh…” Leon coughed. “Would you not like me if I weren’t a man?” Like earlier, the words spilled out clumsily. This wasn’t how he’d imagined the conversation going, but it had to happen now, or it never would.

“Like, if you were a woman?”

“Yeah, or… something else.”

The thought had obviously never crossed Piers’s mind, because he took a moment to think about it, his pretty, pale face scrunching up as his green eyes darted upwards and side to side.

Leon tried not to hyperventilate.

Finally, Piers said, “Well, lots of people have exceptions. I guess if ya weren’t a man, then I’d be gay, but you’d be my exception.”

Piers’s words came out matter-of-factly, but he clearly didn’t understand the relief it brought Leon. Leon was so caught up in relief, in fact, that he nearly missed the question Piers asked him.

“Why’re ya askin’ me all these questions about my gender and sexuality?” he asked.

“Um. Well…” Leon stammered, then more word-spillage came. “I think I might be non-binary,” he said as fast as he could. He held his breath.

He’d never said it out loud before. Not to Raihan, not to Hop, not even to his own reflection. It felt weirdly good to say it out loud, releasing pressure like the opening of a beer can. How many times had Leon looked in the mirror and thought that something felt off? How many nights had he laid awake next to his sleeping boyfriend and wondered if he might not be what Piers had expected?

Though he might not hate the way he looked, there were times when he wished he looked different. And he’d realized recently that even his questionable fashion sense was a symptom of his dysphoria – he didn’t want to dress like “other men” because he literally was not like them. He wanted to wear crop tops and rompers, maybe even the occasional skirt or dress. He wanted to be cute. He wanted to be pretty.

He’d pushed those thoughts down for a while, feeling an anxiety that the thoughts might be wrong or that his loved ones wouldn’t like him as much if he were a “they” or a “he/they,” but the thoughts had only persisted and gotten stronger until he realized that he’d been keeping these feelings – this _reality_ – a secret from the man he loved.

Leon continued holding his breath as he tried to decipher Piers’s reaction to this news. Piers’s eyes widened for a moment, but other than that, he was unreadable. “Oh.” Taking Leon’s face into his hands, Piers finally cracked a smile. “Congrats, love. Figurin’ that out isn’t easy, and comin’ out can be even harder.” With that, he kissed Leon on the lips. It was a normal, gentle kiss – Piers still loved them the same. Fuck, they could cry.

“You’re okay with it, then? Me being non-binary?” Leon asked, speaking against Piers’s lips.

“Of course. Just tell me how to refer to you and how you like to fuck.” He kissed Leon again. “You’re still my lover. That’s not gonna change.”

Later that night, Leon and Piers made love. It was some of the best sex Leon had had in recent memory, and they were sure it was because of this new confidence Piers had helped them gain. It was both energizing and comforting. When the two lay in bed afterwards, holding each other and drifting towards sleep, Leon asked Piers one more question. “Do you still feel dysphoric sometimes?” they asked him.

Piers was still panting slightly. “Sometimes, but it’s not nearly as bad as it used to be.” He kissed Leon’s shoulder. “Also helps that I’m gettin’ dicked down on the regular.” He chuckled, and Leon thought he might say something else until they heard his breathing fade into light snoring.

Leon had no idea how they deserved a guy like Piers.


	2. What They Say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An uncomfortable encounter on their honeymoon sparks an argument between newlywed Piers and Leon, but they still love each other.  
> This story takes place right after More Than a Fantasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for spoilers I guess? If you don't know how Sword/Shield ends then be warned

“I can’t believe it finally happened,” Piers mused, taking a hit of the blunt he was sharing with Leon. He breathed the smoke out through his nose and watched the ocean breeze carry it away. “Marnie and Bede.”

He’d just gotten off the phone with Marnie, who informed him and Leon that she was dating Bede now. Piers and Leon had speculated for a while that the two would end up together, and it felt good to be proven right.

Everything felt good at that moment. Piers was on his Alolan honeymoon with his gorgeous husband, getting high by the beach while their Pokémon played in the sand, and his sister finally had a boyfriend.

“They’ll make kind of an odd couple, don’t you think?” Leon asked, reclining in a lounge chair next to Piers’s.

Piers shrugged. “Sure, but I think they go well together. Marnie’s a little goth, and Bede’s like… pastel goth.” He let the blunt hang between his lips and he put his hands behind his head as he sat back in his lounge chair, enjoying the shade of their beach umbrella. “Besides,” he added, “you should know not to be judgin’ other people by their appearances. Some bastards out there say you and me are an odd couple, too.” He smirked at Leon, who smiled back at him. Leon on the beach was a beautiful sight: their hair, tied back in a ponytail, blew with the breeze, a few strands occasionally sticking to their light-brown skin. And, of course, Leon’s body looked _fantastic_ in swim trunks.

The distinct low, loud growl of his Obstagoon turned Piers’s attention away from his husband. Obstagoon stood in the sand, growling at a man and woman who were trying to walk along the shore. The pair looked startled as Obstagoon wagged his arms and tongue at them as if trying to scare them away, but they didn’t turn or leave. They stood there, seeming unsure of what to do.

 _Great,_ Piers thought. _We’ve been here one day and Obstagoon’s already terrorizin’ the locals._ “Obstagoon!” Piers shouted at his Pokémon. “Cut that shite out or you’re spendin’ the rest of the trip in your Poké Ball, ya hear?” As Obstagoon got the message and backed off, Piers also noticed Charizard and Scrafty eyeing the man and woman suspiciously.

The man looked at Piers and his eyebrows shot up above his designer sunglasses. “Piers?” the man called. He approached them gingerly, followed by the woman who’d been accompanying him. “And Leon!” he exclaimed, a smile forming on his face. “I don’t usually see any fellow Galarians here.”

Sitting up, Leon gasped. They recognized the man before Piers did. “Mr. Rose?” Leon stammered.

The former chairman removed his sunglasses and flashed a businessman’s smile that briefly changed the shape of his oddly rectangular mustache. “Oh, Leon. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not your boss anymore, you can just call me Rose.” He gestured toward the woman standing next to him, a skinny woman with short strawberry-blonde hair. She wore a bikini top with denim shorts. “And surely you remember Oleana?”

It took Piers a moment to remember who Oleana was, because she looked completely different than she had a few years ago. Her hair was cut in a short bob, and she was wearing neither her signature high heels nor her signature scowl. She smiled, affectionately gripping Rose’s arm when he mentioned her name.

Piers’s jaw dropped, the blunt he’d been holding in his mouth falling in the sand. He tried to say something, but his thoughts were so scrambled that nothing came out.

Not meeting Rose’s eyes, Leon nervously asked, “Um. What are you two doing in Alola?”

Putting an arm around Oleana, Rose replied, “Oh, I suppose you never heard. After I was released from prison, we got married and moved out here for our retirement. The weather here is much nicer than in Galar, isn’t it, honey?” Oleana nodded in response.

Odd. Piers remembered Oleana talking a lot more, usually to bring him bad news about budget cuts to Spikemuth or to chide him about pointless new regulations that he may or may not have been following. Had her relationship with Rose changed that about her?

“But enough about us. What brings you two to Alola?” Rose asked, interrupting Piers’s thought.

“We’re on our honeymoon,” Piers growled. He saw no reason to be civil with Rose. He’d always disliked Rose, and especially after the whole Darkest Day stunt years ago, he could definitively say he hated the guy. He wanted Rose to know it, too.

Rose looked surprised at Piers’s statement, looking back and forth between Piers and Leon before deciding to address Leon instead of Piers. “You two are married?” he asked.

Still visibly nervous, Leon looked at Piers with a tentative half-smile. Piers only saw it from the corner of his eye, as he was glaring at Rose, hoping his eyes would shoot lasers and bore a hole in the man’s head. “Yes, sir,” Leon replied, grabbing Piers’s hand and giving it what was probably supposed to be a reassuring squeeze, but it did little to reassure him of anything other than how much he hated Rose.

Rose glanced at Piers and Leon’s matching black-and-white checker-print swim trunks, the ones they’d bought together to wear on their honeymoon. For a fraction of a second, a frown betrayed his otherwise cheerful demeanor, but his face quickly went back to that mask-like businessman’s smile. “Interesting,” Rose commented, his voice smooth and even. He was still addressing Leon as if Piers weren’t there. “He’s certainly not who I thought you’d end up with, but if you two are happy, then that’s what matters.”

Piers clenched his jaw to suppress a growl. How dare this man waltz up to them and act like they were friends? And how dare he imply, in any way, that Piers wasn’t _meant_ to be with Leon? Piers narrowed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to kick that jerk’s teeth in.

He felt Leon squeeze his hand again. When he glanced at his husband, sad gold eyes caught him off guard. Those eyes seemed to beg him to stop, to relax. His shoulders inadvertently dropped – he hadn’t even realized he’d been tensing them – and he forced his jaw to unclench.

There was a bout of silence. Piers wasn’t sure how long it lasted. Minutes? Seconds, maybe? Eventually, Oleana cleared her throat as if she were about to say something, but Rose started speaking before she could.

“In any case, it’s good to see you both. If you’d care to visit us while you’re in town, our beach house is only a five-minute walk that way,” Rose declared, pointing down the beach. “You’ll be able to tell which house is ours because it’s the only one with a Galarian flag outside. Stop by if you get the chance.” With that, Rose grabbed Oleana’s hand and guided her in the direction of their beach house.

When Rose and Oleana were safely out of earshot, Piers dropped Leon’s hand to fold his arms over his chest. “That jerk,” he growled. He’s retired at age forty and livin’ in a tropical paradise when he should’ve gotten the fuckin’ chair.”

Leon took a deep, tense breath. “Piers, love… just lay off him. Please?”

“Why should I?” Piers snapped, looking straight ahead toward the ocean. Several of his and Leon’s Pokémon had apparently noticed his agitation and were staring at him, but he paid them little mind. “A guy like that don’t deserve me sympathy.”

Leon’s next words came out slowly and quietly, like they were tiptoeing. “Rose really isn’t that bad of a guy. He never was.” There was an oddly shaky tone to their voice, something weaker than their usual reverberating baritone.

But Piers didn’t let up. His head whipped sideways to look at Leon – his husband, whom he loved very much – in shock. “Are you fuckin’ mental? Did you forget what he did?” Leon had always been closer to the former chairman than Piers had, but certainly they were smarter than to try and make Rose seem like the good guy.

Leon looked down and frowned. They reached down into the sand and picked up the blunt Piers had dropped. It was no longer lit. Trying to relight it, they replied, “Of course I remember. I was one of the people who tried to fight Eternatus off after he summoned it. I spent a night in the hospital because of it. But… that doesn’t make Rose a bad person.”

Watching Leon’s several unsuccessful attempts at relighting the blunt in between their lips, Piers sat up and turned his full body to face Leon. “Explain to me how nearly destroyin’ all of Galar doesn’t make him a bad person.” He tried to keep his tone level, but he could feel his obvious hate for Rose punctuating his every word like venom. He couldn’t stop doing that if he wanted to.

Eventually giving up on relighting the blunt and discarding it back in the sand, Leon sighed. With a voice even quieter and shakier than before, as if on the verge of tears, they replied, “…He didn’t mean to.”

“He didn’t _mean_ to?” Piers shrieked, loud and shrill enough that all their Pokémon turned their heads. “That’s the excuse you’re goin’ with?”

Leon’s lip quivered. “Piers, please, let’s not fight. Why don’t we talk about this some other time?” They fidgeted, their fingers and toes restlessly flexing and cracking.

Piers should’ve listened to his husband and stopped there. He should’ve detected the obvious discomfort and let the topic go, at least for now. But he didn’t. He was too fired up. “No. I need to know why my husband thinks it’s okay that Rose literally brought about the Darkest Day on purpose.”

“I never said it was okay!” Leon insisted. Their voice was a little stronger than before, but they still sounded cautiously defensive, almost whiny. “He fucked up bigtime, I know that. But… he didn’t do it for any reason other than his love for Galar.”

Piers was ready to call bullshit, but Leon continued before he got the chance.

“He always told me how he wanted Galar to be a beautiful, thriving region for thousands of years after he was gone, and he sincerely believed Eternatus would make that happen.” A wistful look crossed Leon’s face, but it was quickly replaced with a frown. “That ended up being a huge mistake, but he owned up to it afterwards. If he were a bad person, he’d either try and justify his stupid actions or run from them altogether. I mean, wouldn’t he?”

Although Leon was making a halfway decent point, Piers still wasn’t convinced. “If ownin’ up to his mistakes means a year in prison and six months under house arrest, then that hardly scratches the surface of justice.” He saw Leon cringe at the word ‘justice,’ but continued anyway. “I mean, Lee, people _died –_

“Do you have any idea how hard it was?” Leon blurted out. Their volume matched their usual, full baritone, but the tone was harsh and indignant, not friendly and gentle like it usually was. They met Piers’s gaze again. “Do you?” The look on their teary golden eyes was enough to write a hundred sad punk ballads about.

This sudden change in demeanor startled Piers. He stammered, “I – what?”

Leon bent their knees and hugged their legs in close, looking back at the ground. “This might sound cheesy, but Rose was like a father to me for a long time. He was a mentor, a friend, a fucking shoulder to cry on. When he was arrested…” Leon sniffled. “Shit, Piers, it hurt more than when my actual father left. I even visited him in prison, a few times. All he ever wanted to talk about is how much he regretted trying to summon Eternatus, so our visits go awkward and we eventually fell out of touch altogether.” A single tear rolled down their cheek. They wiped it away.

It took Piers a moment to process all this. Rose, a man Piers had always seen as an enemy, a human manifestation of everything wrong with Galar in Piers’s eyes, had meant a lot to Leon at one point in their life. How had this never come up in conversation before today?

And why did it sting so badly to see Leon crying over it?

Eventually, Piers managed to mutter, “Lee, that’s crazy.” He was no longer acting hostile towards Leon about the subject. He was just incredulous.

“I know,” Leon sighed. Piers got up from his seat to sit in front of Leon on their lounge chair, right at their feet that were still hugged closely to their body. “I kind of realized that I was way more reliant on those visits than Rose was anyway. I mean, he clearly turned out just fine without me.” Their lips pressed into a hard line. “But he did mean a lot to me, at least back then. So please, go easy on him.”

Piers opened his mouth, but it took a little effort to make words come out. “I’m so sorry, Lee,” he said slowly. “I had no idea. I never liked the guy, but I didn’t realize how much he meant to you.” He put his hand on Leon’s knee, and Leon met his eyes again with a bittersweet smile.

“It’s okay, I guess. I… don’t like to talk about it much, but I probably should’ve told you sooner.”

“Hey. Don’t sweat it,” Piers said, flashing his wedding ring at his husband. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to share our trauma with each other.”

Piers’s (admittedly just a little macabre) joke got Leon to break into a loud, boisterous laugh, a sound that made Piers laugh too, as it often does. So they laughed together, and the tension between them fizzled out.

It may have been around lunchtime in Galar, but the sun was setting in Alola. Before the beach got too dark, they gathered up their Pokémon and headed back toward the resort hotel to change for dinner.

***

“Come on, please? Not even one?”

“No. I don’t sing for free unless I’m rehearsin’.”

It was karaoke night at the bar and grill attached to the resort.

Leon and Piers had finished their dinner and were now watching other vacationers croaking out cheesy renditions of Livin’ on a Prayer, A Whole New World, I Will Survive, and so, so many other overdone songs. After watching a white woman try and sing a Lizzo song, Piers had started chugging fruity drinks and quietly making fun of everyone doing karaoke.

Which of course prompted Leon to dare Piers to go up there, and Piers had adamantly refused the challenge.

“But it would be funny! You could show those guys how it’s done,” Leon insisted, stealing a sip of Piers’s drink – a paloma, which was a mix of grapefruit soda, lime juice, and tequila.

Piers hiccupped. “I’d just be givin’ ‘em a free show. Would prob’ly only encourage more of the buggers to go up there, and we don’t need that.” He chuckled a little to show Leon that he was still having a good time, even if the karaoke was tacky as hell.

Or maybe even partially because of the tacky karaoke.

It was hard to say.

Leon reached over the table to grab Piers’s hand. “Piers. Love. What would it take to get you up there? I’ll do anything.”

“Anythin’?” Piers echoed, cocking an eyebrow at them.

“Anything.”

Piers’s lips curled into a malicious smile, one that he’d been told could rival his Obstagoon’s snarl in fearsomeness. Leon’s eyes widened in what looked like a mixture of anticipation and fright. “All right then,” Piers half-chanted. “I’ll go up there if you’ll sing with me.”

“What?” Leon stuttered, letting go of Piers’s hand in shock. “You know I can’t sing.” They were a decent whistler, but that was about the best they could do musically.

“Neither can any of these buggers,” Piers retorted, silently admiring how cute his husband was when they got flustered like that. “Oh, don’t tell me you can do Pokémon battles in a stadium full of thousands of screamin’ fans, but ya can’t sing one song in a little bar where most of us are already pish-drunk.”

Leon rolled their eyes. “Okay, fine. What should we sing together?”

“No, no,” said Piers as he wagged a finger at Leon. “You make me sing, I choose the song. That’s the rule.” Before Leon could protest, he got out of his chair and (very carefully, as he didn’t realize how tipsy he was until he stood up) made his way toward the karaoke DJ.

It’s hard to stay anonymous when you look the way Piers does. While many people oddly didn’t recognize Leon without their uniform, Piers was quite the opposite – the only uniform he needed was his massive locks of black and white hair. Even though his music was way less popular in Alola than he was in places like Johto or Unova, he still saw heads turning and heard whispers of, “Is that Piers?”

Such attention was something he’d learned to shrug off. The only people who usually approached him were his actual fans, not just random people who’d heard of him here and there. He supposed that may be because non-fans tended to be a little afraid of him.

Piers got himself and Leon in the karaoke queue and went to sit back down at their table.

“So,” Leon started, leaning in, “what are we singing?”

“You’ll see,” Piers replied, smugly taking another sip of his paloma. He would’ve chugged it like he had with the others, but he figured it would be best if he could stay upright through the end of their song.

“Aw, you’re seriously not gonna tell me?” Leon protested, making their adorable pouty face.

Now it was Piers’s turn to reach over the table. Evidently, he’d gotten to the stage of drunkenness where he became touchy, because he couldn’t resist leaning over to tuck a stray lock of purple hair behind his husband’s ear.

His husband. He and Leon were married now. How crazy. How wonderful.

“Don’t worry, love. It’s a song ya know fairly well.”

Leon grabbed Piers’s hand before he could pull it away. They pressed Piers’s palm against their face, and the sensation of their warm, soft skin made Piers smile. “Can I at least have a hint?” Leon asked with a wide-eyed, hopeful gaze.

Though Piers hated saying no to that face, spoiling the surprise would’ve been worse. “Nope, you’ll have to wait.”

Leon kissed Piers’s palm. “Please?” they asked, batting their eyelashes.

The gesture made Piers blush, but he just smiled and shook his head. “I’m not tellin’.”

There were a couple people queued in front of them for karaoke. During hammed-up renditions of Cheeseburger in Paradise and Hakuna Matata, Piers continued giggling and hiccupping as Leon persistently tried and failed to get an answer from Piers. It became like a game, so much so that Piers wondered if Leon actually wanted to know which song Piers had chosen or if they were just having fun prodding him and making him laugh.

Either way, Piers didn’t tell. Not even when their names were called and they marched onto the small wooden stage.

The usual rustle of the bar and grill quieted. Piers could feel the eyes on him and his husband, and the attention was electrifying. Not nearly the same thrill as that of a real concert, but it was enough that Piers wanted to try acting sober. He straightened up and grabbed the microphone in front of him with both hands like he often did at the beginning of a concert The title screen flashed onto the monitor facing the singers:

VIDEO GAMES

LANA DEL REY

“Oh hell yeah,” Leon muttered with a giddy snicker.

Piers leaned away from the microphone to mutter to Leon, “They didn’t have High by the Beach,” he commented, flashing his teeth playfully.

Both Piers and Leon loved his song. As the opening piano chords started, Leon hummed along into the microphone until the lyrics appeared on screen:

SWINGING IN THE BACKYARD

PULL UP IN YOUR FAST CAR WHISTLING MY NAME

OPEN UP A BEER

AND YOU SAY GET OVER HERE AND PLAY A VIDEO GAME

They crooned out the whole song with ease, swaying to the melancholic rhythm of the piano and harp coming through the crappy speakers. All eyes were on them, especially when Piers stumbled and ended up leaning most of his weight on Leon.

IT'S BETTER THAN I EVER EVEN KNEW

THEY SAY THAT THE WORLD WAS BUILT FOR TWO

ONLY WORTH LIVING IF SOMEBODY IS LOVING YOU

BABY NOW YOU DO

As the music faded out, the occupants of the bar and grill gave the newlyweds a standing ovation. Beaming with pride, Leon put a big arm around Piers, who was still leaning heavily on them.

“You’re a star,” Leon whispered as they kissed the top of Piers’s head.

“No,” Piers replied. _“We’re_ stars.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered splitting this into two shorter fics, but fuck it. One long, disjointed fic because they shouldn't be separated. Drop a comment if you enjoyed.


	3. Is This Too Much?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long conversation at a League gala makes the event way more bearable for Piers than it would normally be. It also brings up a few pleasant memories.   
> This takes place after the events of More Than a Fantasy, so Piers and Leon are married, and Marnie and Bede are in an established relationship as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imo, this fandom could always use a little more love for my girl Melony, so of course I had to write something with her in it, haha. 
> 
> I can't wait to hear what you think of this latest installment in my Dedicated B-Sides!

Piers used to despise League galas. He didn’t mind dressing up or eating whatever bland food they served there, but everything at these events always seemed forced. Forced smiles, forced conversation, forced enjoyment.

But, he’d learned to appreciate them after Leon had taken over the responsibility of planning them. A lot of work went into one gala! Piers had seen his husband working like crazy over the past couple of months trying to get everything together for it, and he was hoping that the night of the event would bring them some relief.

It did not.

From the minute Piers and Leon arrived together (another thing Piers enjoyed now was coming as Leon’s plus-one instead of as a Gym Leader), Leon had been pulled in every direction imaginable. It worried Piers a little to see Leon running across a crowded ballroom in a floor-length dress and high heels the way they were, but there wasn’t much he could do to help the situation. Whatever was going on, clearly Leon was the only one who could fix it.

So, Piers found himself leaning against a wall and sipping from a glass of chardonnay while watching Leon’s red velvet dress cascading around their legs as they ran this way and that, inevitably trying to prevent some disaster like the band starting late or the hors d’oeuvres getting cold.

At least Leon looked good, even while scrambling all over the place as League staff members guided them in the direction of whatever was going on. So long as Leon didn’t twist an ankle in those heels, this was sure to be a decent gala.

Piers didn’t mind standing by himself and admiring his husband, but he still wondered if Marnie and Bede would be arriving soon. Those two were decent company, and it had been a few days since Piers had spoken to his sister or her boyfriend. He also started to wonder where Raihan was, but he answered his own question before he even finished the thought: Raihan always intentionally showed up late to these events. The guy just _loved_ making grand entrances, and more people arriving before him meant that more people got to see him arrive.

When Piers eventually spotted a friendly face in the crowd, she was already making a beeline toward him.

It was unusual seeing Melony in any color besides white or ice blue, but tonight she was wearing black. If it weren’t for her classic warm smile and her distinct long, white hair, she’d look like a completely different person because of the color of her dress alone. She waved enthusiastically at Piers as she approached.

“Piersie!” she exclaimed, going in for a big hug. She was surprisingly strong for such an unassuming middle-aged woman, and this hug was a little suffocating. “It’s been too long. How are you, sweetie?”

Piers smiled, hugging her back and hoping she wouldn’t squeeze him any tighter. “It’s good to see you too, Mel,” he laughed. “I’m doin’ real good.”

“Oh, good, good,” Melony replied. She gave Piers a quick squeeze and then released him from her too-tight-for-comfort grip.

Melony loved Piers. He wasn’t sure if it was related to her not being all that close with her own son, her knowing that Piers had no mother, or some combination of both, but she’d latched onto him from the very first day they met. Especially back when Piers was a Gym Leader, Melony tended to seek him out at social gatherings, sometimes demanding his attention for an hour at a time. Back then, she did it mostly because she knew he wasn’t likely to talk to anyone else. He was young and shy when he was a new Gym Leader, but she’d kind of forced him out of his shell.

Even though Piers wasn’t a Gym Leader anymore and only attended these galas as Leon’s plus-one, Melony still sought him out. From what he understood, he wasn’t the only person she did this with – evidently, she’d claimed more than one young person as her honorary child – but she seemed especially drawn to Piers.

It warmed his goth heart.

“Where’s Leon?” Melony asked. “You two are just absolutely darling together. You know, I’m surprised he’s not attached to your arm,” she added with a good-hearted giggle.

Seeing Melony look up at him, Piers felt a bit like a teenager who’d just hit a growth spurt and outgrown his mother. Maybe two-inch heels weren’t the best idea, even if Leon was also wearing heels.

Leon wore heels to not look short around Raihan, and Piers wore heels to not look short around Leon. If Raihan started wearing heels, the three of them would have to call a truce before someone showed up in stilts.

“Lee’s runnin’ around puttin’ out fires,” Piers replied. “It’s always somethin’ with these galas.”

“Well, let’s hope he’ll get time for a little fun tonight.” She winked. “You look great, by the way. You’re such a handsome young man.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Compliments always caught Piers off guard, unless they were compliments from his husband, which he’d gotten used to. He adjusted his lapels. “You, uh, look good too. You’re lovely.”

“Oh, you flatter.” Melony beamed, her blue eyes widening. “Seriously though, you look healthy. And strong! Have you been eating well?”

There she went again, asking Piers about his eating habits. Coming from anyone else but her, the question would be offensive, but Melony did it enough that he was used to it. It was even oddly endearing. “Well, ya know me, Mel. I’m always tryin’.” He blushed.

“Whatever you’re doing, keep it up! They say thick thighs are in this season.” She nudged him playfully. “That means you’ve still got a long way to go, you know.”

Piers just rolled his eyes. “Ya say that every season.”

“And it’s true every season!” Melony insisted. “Or at least when it’s not, it should be.”

“Whatever ya say.”

“Oh! Speaking of which, have you had anything to eat yet? I just saw a caterer carrying around some meatballs, and if I could just hunt him down…” Her thought process drifted away as she hunted with her eyes for a caterer.

“Mel, I don’t eat meat.”

Melony slapped her forehead. “Right! Sorry, Piersie. I don’t know how I always forget that.” Without warning, she gripped Piers’s upper arm. Damn, she was _really_ strong. “C’mon, I’m sure there’s something here you can eat. There’s _got_ to be something.”

***

Watching the Ice-type Gym Leader drag his girlfriend’s brother around, Bede couldn’t help but wince. He and Marnie had just arrived, but he got the impression that Melony had cornered Piers a while ago. He knew from firsthand experience that Melony could be a little overbearing. “It looks like Melony’s claimed Piers as her next victim,” he said to Marnie. “When should we intervene?”

The usually stone-faced Marnie cracked a rare smile. “Never.”

***

_Marnie banged her fists on the kitchen table to get her teenage brother’s attention. The noise made Piers jump, then turn toward Marnie. She’d realized recently that it was an effective way to get him to look at her, about as effective as yelling “help” even when there was nothing wrong. “Tell me about the big party!” she demanded. “What was it like?”_

_“Boring,” Piers replied, approaching the table with two plates of scrambled eggs. He set the smaller one in front of Marnie and the bigger one in front of his seat._

_Shoveling a big forkful of eggs into her mouth, Marnie groaned. “Come on, Piers! Ya gotta tell me more about it. Was there music and dancin’? Were there girls in fancy dresses?”_

_Piers sighed. “What did I tell ya ‘bout talkin’ with your mouth full?” he asked, his eyelids drooping as he reached for his coffee mug. Piers was allowed to have coffee, but he never let Marnie have any. He claimed she was too young._

_Marnie narrowed her eyes, chewed, and swallowed. “You’re mean.”_

_“No I’m not. You’re a little kid and ya need to learn some manners if ya ever wanna go to fancy galas like your big bro.”_

_“Psh. I’m not little.” Marnie reached across the table to snatch the ketchup bottle, nearly falling face-first into her eggs in the process._

_Piers rolled his eyes at her. “You’re five.”_

_“Don’t change the subject!” Marnie hollered as she slammed a palm against the table, rattling the dishes. “Tell me about the party!”_

_“All right, all right, calm down, Marnie,” Piers chuckled. “The League Gala really wasn’t all that interestin’, though. I was prob’ly the youngest person there, and the fancy-pants old people didn’t really pay me much mind anyways.”_

_Fumbling with the big ketchup bottle, Marnie asked, “Did ya meet the Champion?”_

_“No. I mean, he was there, but he didn’t talk to me.”_

_Marnie’s eyes widened in confusion. “So did nobody talk to ya?”_

_Piers took another sip of coffee, and Marnie wondered if he’d slept at all last night. She knew her brother sometimes couldn’t sleep, but she didn’t exactly understand why. “Well,” said Piers, “there was one person who talked to me. Her name was Melony.”_

_“Melony?” Marnie gasped as she squeezed more ketchup onto her eggs. “The Gym Leader?”_

_“Don’t look so surprised. I’m a Gym Leader now too, ya know.” Maybe Marnie wasn’t paying close enough attention to aim properly, because she managed to squirt ketchup all over her shirt. “Oh, mercy,” Piers said, shaking his head. “Hang on, I’ll clean ya up.”_

_Piers got a damp washcloth and crouched to dab the ketchup stain off Marnie’s favorite t-shirt, a black-and-white striped shirt that made her feel like a referee. As she sat there enjoying the smell of her brother’s deodorant (another thing Piers claimed she was too young to use), she enthusiastically listed off all the facts she knew about Gym Leader Melony. Marnie watched as many Gym Leader battles as she could, and she especially enjoyed Melony’s matches. She had the coolest Pokémon, and she was super strong…_

_Just as Piers finished cleaning the ketchup off Marnie, his phone buzzed. He stood up. “I wonder who’s callin’ this early,” he said, hesitantly answering the call. “Hullo?”_

_“Who is it?” Marnie chirped._

_Piers silently put a finger to his lips to tell Marnie to shush. “Oh, hi Ms. Melony… No, you’re not interrupting anything, I was just—uh huh?... uh huh?... No, I—uh huh?...”_

_This went on for what may as well have been hours in five-year-old-child time. Even if he was obviously hiding his accent (Marnie didn’t get why he did that), Piers was on the phone with Marnie’s favorite Gym Leader. Marnie stood up on her chair and tried to swipe the phone from Piers, but he stepped aside before she got the chance. She wanted to talk to Melony so badly._

_“That’s real nice of you, Ms. Melony – I mean, Melony, just Melony – but I couldn’t. I’ve got a little sister to take care of, and…” Piers went quiet for a long time as he listened to what Melony was saying. She must’ve had a lot to say to him, considering how long Piers just stood and listened. Eventually, a nervous smile spread across his face. “All right, if you insist. I’ll see you in an hour.” He hung up._

_“What did she say?” Marnie screeched. She was fired up from all the pent-up excitement of knowing her older brother personally knew a big, important Gym Leader like Melony._

_Piers stared at his phone for a moment as if in a daze before looking back at Marnie. “Well,” he said, “she wants to train with me today.”_

_Marnie gasped. “And you said yes?!”_

_“Honestly, she didn’t give me much of a choice. Come finish your breakfast, she wants you to come too.”_

***

Marnie would always fondly remember the way Melony had taken Piers – and later, Marnie too – under her wing. She was sure she wouldn’t be the strong Dark-type Gym Leader she was today if it hadn’t been for Melony’s care and support.

Melony, of course, could be a little intense, which was why Bede looked frightened when she approached them with Piers still in tow. Marnie also noticed Piers holding a full appetizer plate of hors d’oeuvres that Melony had no doubt insisted he take. That woman was _always_ trying to get Marnie and Piers to eat more.

“Marnie and Bede! It’s so great to see you, sweeties.” Melony finally let go of Piers’s poor arm to wrap both Marnie and Bede in a bone-crushing hug.

“Hi Melony,” they managed to choke out as she squeezed them.

The hug lasted a bit too long, but she eventually let go. She held them both affectionately at arm’s length, clicking her tongue in delight. “Aren’t you two just always so cute together!” She turned her attention from Marnie and Bede to Piers. “I mean, really, aren’t they adorable, Piersie?”

Piersie. When did she come up with that nickname?

Piers smirked, nibbling on a mini spring roll. “Sure.”

Evidently that answer wasn’t sufficient, because it made Melony gasp theatrically. “Just ‘sure’? Is something wrong?” She turned back toward Marnie. “Don’t tell me Bede’s treating you as anything less than the angel you are.” Her tone was mostly joking, but it also had a painful hint of genuine motherly concern.

Marnie looked at Bede. His face was as red as a Tamato Berry, contrasting awkwardly with his seafoam green bowtie. “No, Melony,” Marnie chuckled. “Bede’s great. Really.”

“Oh, good.” Both Melony and Bede visibly relaxed. “I won’t let you date anyone who’s less than great to you. You deserve the best.”

Bede leaned over to Marnie and whispered, “Thank you.”

Silently, Marnie put a hand on Bede’s arm.

Melony took Marnie’s other hand and squeezed it. She addressed the couple, “Have you two had anything to eat yet?”

***

_When Melony had said she wanted to train with Piers, he had not expected her to take him and Marnie all the way out to the Wild Area._

_The midmorning sun was hot, and Piers hated being outside in this weather, but he trudged on without complaining. At least he didn’t have to carry Marnie – Melony had insisted on carrying his little sister when she inevitably got tired of walking._

_“You sure you’ve got her okay, Ms. Melony?” Piers asked, mindful of his accent. “You’ve been carrying her for a while, and she’s big enough that she can walk fine on her own.”_

_Melony dismissively waved her hand. “Really Piers, just call me Melony! And it’s no trouble,” she said as Marnie gently but defensively wrapped her arms around Melony’s neck. That girl had been chatting Melony’s ear off for the whole trip and clearly did not want to be let down. Piers knew from firsthand experience that his sister could be stronger than Clobbopus when she held on tight, too. Patting the top of Marnie’s head, Melony continued, “You kids deserve to be spoiled every once in a while, and since you don’t have any aunts or uncles to spoil you, then it’s up to Auntie Melony to get that job done.”_

_Perking up, Marnie gave the woman carrying her a confused look. “Melony, are you our auntie?”_

_Smiling affectionately at Marnie before giving Piers a wink, Melony replied, “I am now, sweetie.”_

_They hiked on until Piers’s legs started to ache and his sweat soaked through his shirt. Melony, with her long, thick hair tied up in a top-knot bun and the long sleeves of her shirt rolled up, appeared to be faring much better than Piers. She didn’t seem to be getting tired at all. It was impressive, especially since she was not only old enough to be his mother, but she was also carrying both a five-year-old girl and a stuffed backpack. She must’ve been way sturdier than she looked._

_When they got to a clearing near the entrance to Motosoke, Melony finally stopped. “What do you think, Marnie?” she asked. “Is this a good place to set up camp?”_

_Marnie’s face lit up cartoonishly. “We’re campin’?” she asked, wide-eyed with excitement._

_“Of course!” Melony exclaimed. “Surely your big brother has told you the importance of training your Pokémon by bonding with them, hasn’t he?” She smiled at Piers._

_Piers sighed when he saw Marnie pout. He knew she was about to bring up a sore subject. Marnie grumbled, “Piers won’t let me have any Pokémon. He says I’m too little.” She was obviously trying to get Melony to sympathize with her, maybe even get her to talk Piers into letting her have her own Pokémon. It made Piers roll his eyes._

_Setting Marnie down, Melony hummed. “Well, he’s probably right. Owning and training Pokémon is a big responsibility, you know.” Piers was relieved that she wasn’t taking Marnie’s side on this issue. She seemed like a responsible woman and a good mother – it made Piers wonder briefly why she didn’t get along with her own son. Melony shrugged off her backpack and started removing parts for a tent. She continued her thought, “But, if you’re anything like Piers, then you’re bound to be a super strong trainer when you get older! I’ve seen him battle, it’s impressive.”_

_“When have you seen me battle?” Piers asked. He was still a new Gym Leader, and the thought of anyone outside Spikemuth, especially an important Gym Leader like Melony, watching his matches had hardly ever crossed his mind as a possibility._

_Melony gestured for Piers to come closer. He did so. “Help me with the tent?” Melony asked. Piers nodded and worked with her to put the tent pieces together. It took her a moment before she answered Piers’s question. “I try to watch all your battles when they’re on the telly,” she admitted. “It’s honestly a shame that they don’t broadcast more of them, you’re so fun to watch!”_

_Piers blinked. He was flattered that Melony enjoyed watching his gym battles, but this news also shocked him. He worked on the tent, completely silent, for at least a whole minute as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. Finally, he muttered a coy, “Thank you.”_

_Once the tent was set up, Melony let her Pokémon out of their balls. Marnie immediately tried to charge at Darmanitan, and Piers snatched her arm to stop her._

_“Marnie!” Piers scolded, slipping back into his Spikemuth accent. “What did I tell ya ‘bout runnin’ up to Pokémon you’ve never met before?”_

_“I just wanted to pet it,” Marnie protested, reaching her non-restrained arm out toward Melony’s Darmanitan but being way too far away to reach it._

_Melony giggled. “Oh, don’t worry, all my Pokémon are very tame.” Motioning for Darmanitan to come to her, Melony made a kissy noise. The Pokémon happily ambled up to its owner and leaned its fat, round head down to accept an affectionate head pat from Melony. “Darmanitan’s especially sweet. She may weigh over 250 pounds, but she’s a real gentle giant. Isn’t that right, girl?”_

_Darmanitan brilled happily in response, clearly relishing the attention._

_Piers let his Pokémon out of their balls as well, and they instantly began playing with Melony’s team as if they were all old friends. Marnie even got to play with them, too. As she chased various Ice- and Dark-type Pokémon around their campsite, Piers helped Melony start up a campfire for cooking lunch._

_“You know, Piers,” said Melony, watching Piers’s Linoone playing fetch with Marnie, “I’m surprised you haven’t evolved your Linoone into an Obstagoon yet. He’s plenty strong, isn’t he?”_

_“Um.” Piers rubbed the back of his neck. His hair wasn’t long enough to put in a ponytail yet, but it was long enough to stick to him when he sweated. “Sure, but… you know, I don’t get the chance to do much night training. I have to get Marnie to bed pretty early every night, and that doesn’t leave me much time –”_

_“Say no more,” Melony interrupted. She tossed her kindling down in their makeshift firepit, then sat and dug though her backpack. Eventually, she found what she was looking for. She pulled it out of her bag and held it out for Piers. “Here,” she said. “Give Linoone one of these tonight so he can evolve.”_

_It took Piers a second to figure out what he was offering her. It was a piece of candy, neatly wrapped in a familiar blue wrapper._

_A Rare Candy._

_As nice as it was for Melony to offer him something like that, Piers knew he shouldn’t accept it. After all, Rare Candies were an important item for anyone who wanted to train their Pokémon without taking hundreds of trips to a Pokémon Center. He shook his head. “That’s very nice of you, Ms.—uh, I mean, Melony, but I really can’t accept that. You should keep it for your own Pokémon.”_

_Melony puffed, standing up, but still holding out the candy. “Oh, I insist. I have too many of the darn things, and the Chairman keeps telling me that I shouldn’t let my Pokémon get too strong.” She winked. “After all, if no Gym Challengers can get past me, that means you won’t get the chance to beat them, right?”_

_Piers thought about it. She made a good point, and Arceus knew how hard it was to come across a Rare Candy in Spikemuth. Plus, without it, who knows when he’d find a way to level up his Linoone at night so it could finally evolve into Obstagoon? He accepted it. “Thank you. You’re too kind.”_

_“Like I said, someone’s got to spoil you kids, and it may as well be me!” Melony said, crouching over her backpack again. “Would you mind starting the fire while I get out the curry ingredients? Oh, also, I hope you don’t mind pasta curry. I figured a skinny little thing like you could use the extra carbs.”_

_Though Piers didn’t like it when people he’d just met made comments about his figure, he managed a polite smile. “Aye, pasta curry’s fine,” he mumbled sheepishly as he squatted to light the fire._

_“Good, good,” Melony sang with a nod. “We’ve got to bulk you up! Thick thighs are in this season, you know.”_

***

It was hard to ignore a man in a bright gold suit, and it was even harder when that man was Raihan. He burst through the doors of the venue, clearly relishing the attention from the cameramen stationed there as he posed for photo after photo. All the camera flashes reflected off his gold suit as he strutted blindingly into the room.

After a few minutes of observing Raihan’s pageantry, Piers noticed that Marnie and Bede were gone. They must’ve snuck away while Melony was distracted.

Piers couldn’t blame them for it. He knew that Bede wasn’t as comfortable around Melony as he and Marnie were, and Marnie was probably just looking out for her boyfriend when she left with him. Plus, that meant he got Melony to himself.

The first thing Raihan did when he approached Piers and Melony (he spotted them shortly after the photographers got bored with him) was snatch a mini quiche off Piers’s appetizer plate. Raihan ate it in one bite, and it looked like he didn’t even bother chewing it before swallowing. “What’s up, party people!” he said to the duo.

“Nice of ya to finally show up,” Piers quipped.

Raihan smirked in response. “Where’s Lee?” he asked. “You don’t have your tongue down their throat yet?”

The comment made Melony put a hand over her mouth in faux shock, but Raihan, of course, leaned over to her and continued anyway.

“You won’t believe it, Melony. This guy gets two drinks in him and suddenly he won’t leave his poor husband alone,” he teased, earning himself a sharp elbow in the side from Piers.

“I do _not_ ,” Piers insisted, though he wasn’t upset. He and Raihan just liked to ruffle each other’s feathers sometimes. It was how they communicated.

Melony laughed, high-pitched and smooth. “Oh, you two.” Crossing her arms, she clicked her tongue while a dreamy look crossed her face. “I remember when you were both new to the League. I honestly would’ve never guessed you two would be such good friends. And Leon! Who would’ve thought that he – I mean, they? Is it still okay to say “he?”

Piers snickered. “Either is fine. Really.”

“Oh, good. Leon’s always been such a sweetheart, and I’d hate to misgender him, even on accident! Anyway, who would’ve thought…”

As Melony prattled on, Raihan quickly lost interest. He wrapped an arm around Piers’s shoulder. “Wanna go find your hubby?” he asked quietly enough that it didn’t interrupt Melony’s rambling. Piers knew that Raihan used the word “hubby” mainly to make his skin prickle, and it worked every time.

But Piers just shook his head to play it off. “You go ahead,” he replied. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

Raihan walked away from the conversation, and Piers happily listened as Melony continued whatever line of thought she was going on.

This might just be the first gala I actually enjoy, Piers thought.


	4. A Thousand Stories Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my take on how Piers chose his new name after coming out as trans (don't worry -- his deadname is not used at all).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this kind of on a whim after tossing the idea around in my head for a while. It's a bit shorter than the other works in the B-sides, but I'd love to hear what you all think of it!

“Marnie, your big bro’s got some big news for ya.”

Marnie looked up at her brother. She’d just recently turned three, and while she could speak in full sentences, she was a pretty quiet kid. So she just stared at her brother until he continued.

“So, ya know how I’m a boy?”

Marnie nodded.

“Okay. And ya know how Mum and Dad gave me a girl’s name ‘cause they thought I was a girl?”

Marnie nodded again. It was good that she remembered this – he’d gone over it with her several times, and he knew that any change, including name changes, could be hard for kids that young to understand, but she did a great job.

“Well, I just chose a new name for meself, so I’ve got a boy’s name now. Wanna hear big bro’s new name?”

It took Marnie a second to respond. She looked away for a moment, fidgeting with the red Diplo block in her hand, before nodding slightly.

Her brother sat down next to her. “My new name’s Peter,” he declared. “Can you say Peter?”

“Piers?” she mispronounced his name, although she did a spot-on impression of his tone.

Peter shook his head. “No, Marnie. Peter.”

Marnie paused for a moment, attaching her Duplo block to… whatever she thought she was making out of Duplos. “Piers,” she repeated, again mimicking his tone but not pronouncing the name right.

“No, no. Look at me.” Marnie looked at Peter. “Now repeat what I say. Pe-ter.” He clapped on each syllable, as he found that that often helped his baby sister learn to pronounce things.

“Pi-ers,” Marnie repeated, clapping twice like Peter did, even though Piers was a one-syllable name.

Peter sighed. He was trying to be patient, but his usual teaching strategies weren’t working. He tried one last method. “Marnie. You’re sayin’ Piers, but I’m sayin’ Peter. Can ya hear the difference?”

Marnie nodded.

“Okay, so what’s my name?”

Confidently, Marnie declared, “Piers!” She even gave him a little smile, and she had a smile that could light up a whole room.

Naturally, Peter’s heart melted. He’d had his heart set on being called Peter, but maybe Marnie mispronouncing his name meant something. Maybe he wasn’t meant to be Peter.

Besides, Piers had a nice ring to it too.

***

Piers took his ID back from the bartender who’d just carded him. His boyfriend, Leon, sitting next to him, squinted at the ID in Piers’s hand.

“Hey, can I see that?” Leon asked.

Not thinking anything of it, Piers shrugged. “Sure. The photo’s not great, though. They made me brush my bangs back, so my hair looks all weird.” He handed the ID to Leon.

Leon inspected the card for a moment. It looked like he was reading and then rereading something. Finally, he asked, “Your first name’s actually Peter?”

Piers snorted. He was so used to seeing it that he hardly ever thought about it. “Aye, but nobody calls me that. Not even Marnie. Hell, only a couple people know that me legal name is Peter in the first place.”

“But…” Leon started, and then stopped to think. He continued, “But you’re trans. Didn’t you change your name? Why wouldn’t you have just changed it to Piers?”

Piers chuckled, reminiscing about the day he came home to his baby sister after changing his name. “Here’s what happened…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this one! I love trans stories that are centered around trans happiness, and I hope you all do too.


	5. Making a Comeback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marnie and Bede visit Leon's family's home in Postwick for a celebration of Piers and Leon's one-year anniversary. To their surprise, Hop brings someone to the party as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm counting this as the last chapter in this work, but I might add more in the future if I have anything else to add!

Marnie knocked on the door to the house where Bede lived. Unsurprisingly, Opal answered. Hunched over and leaning on her cane, the old woman flashed Marnie a pleasant, wrinkly smile.

“Hi, Ms. Opal,” Marnie said. “Is Bede almost ready? We’re s’posed to be headin’ toward Postwick soon.” Marnie had slowly stopped trying to hide her accent in front of Opal over the past year as she realized that Opal was more tolerant than she’d thought. In fact, Opal even seemed to like Marnie’s accent.

Opal nodded happily at Marnie. She always seemed delighted to see her, possibly because she was one of the main non-work-related reasons Bede left the house these days. “Oh, sweetheart, for the last time, you can call me Granny. I insist.” Her wrinkled face shifted to glance at Bede’s door. “That boy always takes forever to get ready.”

Before Opal was able to continue with that line of thought, Bede emerged from his room. He scurried toward the front door to greet Marnie, dressed in a white button-up shirt with black slacks, pink suspenders and a matching pink bowtie. This was just like him – wearing clothes he’d probably end up ruining. At least he was okay with incorporating _some_ neutral colors in his wardrobe now, instead of going with pastels on top of pastels like he used to do. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Marnie,” he panted, sidling past Opal to stand next to Marnie. “Granny, I’m probably going to stay with Marnie tonight if that’s okay.”

Waving her hand dismissively at Bede, Opal grumbled, “Oh, please. You’re not a little kid, you don’t need my permission. Just don’t go causing any trouble, and if you do, I don’t want to hear about it.” With that, she turned on her heel and slowly made her way to her office, her cane thudding against the floor with each step.

Bede shut the door behind him. “Ready to go?” he asked her. There were rare occasions when he still acted nervous around her even though they’d been together for almost a year. Now was one of those occasions. His shoulders were so tense that Marnie could practically feel how stiff they were just by looking at them.

Marnie got on her tiptoes to kiss the freckles under Bede’s eyes. “You’re overdressed again.”

Blushing, Bede smiled softly. His shoulders relaxed, but only slightly. “Better to be overdressed than underdressed. That’s what Granny always says.”

“You listen to everythin’ your granny says?” Marnie teased.

Bede gave Marnie a half-assed playful shove. “Only when she’s right.” The Flying Taxi Marnie had called landed in front of them, and they started to board it. “Plus,” he added, “any special occasion where I don’t have to wear my gym uniform is reason enough to dress up.”

They took their seats and fastened their seatbelts. “You ever been to Postwick, Bede?”

“No,” Bede replied, frowning. “Have you?”

“No, but Piers has told me plenty about it. It’s… different,” Marnie said as the taxi took off. Both Marnie and Bede had grown up in urban areas, and while both had traveled all across Galar, neither had been to such a remote area as Postwick. She smoothed out her black sundress, wondering if she were dressed appropriately. Maybe she should’ve gone with something more rustic. Some denim, maybe? And maybe a cowgirl hat instead of the black sun hat she wore?

Sitting next to her, Bede squeezed her hand as if he knew she was overthinking and was trying to calm her down. She had no idea how he did that – even her own brother wasn’t this good at reading her. She relaxed, smiling at him. There was no need to worry. They were just going to her sibling-in-law’s mother’s house, after all. It was nothing but a small family gathering to celebrate Piers and Leon’s first wedding anniversary.

The taxi flew over Wedgehurst, and Marnie noticed the familiar red roof of a Pokémon Center as they passed it by. She remembered Piers telling her that Postwick was too small to have its own Pokémon Center – the closest one was the one in Wedgehurst. She found that hard to believe until they landed, instantly getting hit by the smell of hay and Wooloo dung in the July heat.

Up the fence-lined grassy path that connected the two towns, only two houses were visible. Marnie had zero knowledge of the way rural areas worked, but she figured that the next closest neighbors besides Gloria and Victor’s family could be many miles away.

Marnie exited the cab first, instantly grateful for her sun hat. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and having lived in Spikemuth her whole life, Marnie’s poor skin was extra sensitive to the summer sun.

Dismounting the cab after her, Bede grumbled, “They couldn’t have gotten us any closer?”

Marnie had thought the same thing, but she simply shrugged as the cab flew off. “I hope those shoes are all right for walkin’,” she commented, starting toward the house she assumed belonged to Leon’s mother.

“It’s not the shoes I’m worried about,” Bede replied. “I don’t want to sweat through this shirt.”

Not only was the country air smelly, but it was hot and thick that day – Marnie was getting hot even in her sleeveless sundress. She could only imagine how bad Bede had it with his long pants and long sleeves, but it was his fault for not dressing practically in the first place. “I told ya you were overdressed.”

Bede just rolled his eyes. “At least I look good.”

Marnie jokingly coughed as if she were offended. “What, and I don’t?”

“Oh, come on Marnie. You look good in anything.” He nudged her.

“Sure.” Marnie enjoyed the playful banter they were now able to maintain after being together this long, but as they got closer to the house, she remembered something. “By the way,” she said, “Hop’s comin’ too. Just to warn ya.”

While both Marnie and Bede considered Hop a friend, they also found that there were times when his personality clashed with theirs, especially Bede’s. To put it lightly, Hop could be a lot to handle. Bede hummed, thinking. “What do you think he’ll try and pull this time?” he asked. “Asking us when we’re getting married or bragging about his ‘very real boyfriend’ who ‘lives in Alola?’”

Bede’s voice was soaked in sarcasm as he mentioned the part about Hop’s boyfriend. Ever since returning from his spring internship in Alola, Hop had claimed that he was in a long-distance relationship with a guy he’d met over there.

Neither Marnie nor Bede believed it, of course. It seemed way too much like he was coming up with an excuse for why he wasn’t dating anyone in Galar. Like he was pretending he wasn’t single. He used to tease Marnie for not getting out there more, even though she’d dated more people than he had, and when Marnie tried dishing it back to him he suddenly conveniently had a boyfriend who lived in a different country.

Marnie shook her head. “I’ve never met anyone like Hop. He’s so—”

“Annoying?” Bede butted in.

“I was gonna say _odd_.” Though Marnie didn’t mind occasionally talking shit about Hop, she sometimes worried that he was lonely. The bittersweet aches of Piers moving out of Spikemuth and eventually getting married still felt fresh to her, and she wondered if that was how it had felt for Hop when his brother left home. Or when his rival moved away. Had he kept it together, smiling and waving goodbye, only to break down when the person he cared about faded into the distance? Hop always put up a cheerful front, but how much of that was genuine?

Marnie snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Bede’s hand grab hers, squeezing it again. “Hey,” he said. She looked up at him, his amethyst eyes trying to scan her face.

“Piers was right about Postwick bein’ different, huh?” Marnie said, hoping to change the subject.

It worked. Bede looked past the fence that lined their path, noticing a flock of Wooloo ambling around in the bright green grass. “Yeah. I don’t think I’d last two days in a place like this. Ballonlea’s almost too remote for me, and at least we have a Pokémon Center.”

“Good thing we’re only stayin’ a few hours, then,” Marnie replied. “Wouldn’t want you witherin’ away.”

The path finally reached Hop’s yard. Marnie led Bede to the front door of the house. The door was rustic and solid, plus it looked like it had just gotten a fresh coat of paint. Marnie rang the doorbell.

A middle-aged woman who looked startlingly like Hop and Leon, even down to the hair and eye colors, answered the door. She smiled warmly at them. “Oh, you two must be Marnie and Bede. It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Leon’s mum.” She stepped aside to let them in the house. “Please, come in! Leon and Piers are already in the kitchen.”

Muttering quiet thank yous, they entered the house and silently praised the air conditioning. Based on the décor, Marnie wouldn’t be surprised if the family had lived there for multiple generations, because the general interior design, from the layout of the house to the color of the walls and curtains, all had a dated feel to it. They went into the kitchen, where they found Leon standing in front of the open fridge and Piers sitting contentedly at the table, petting a Purrloin that was presumably the family’s pet. Marnie was surprised to see Piers as relaxed as he was in a setting like this, but she had to remind herself that this wasn’t his first time in Leon’s family’s home. After all, Piers had officially been a part of Leon’s family for a year now.

Piers looked up at the couple with a small smile. “Hey, you two made it,” he commented.

Closing the fridge, Leon turned toward them, holding a water bottle. “Hey guys! Thanks so much for coming. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

Marnie sat across the table from Piers, and Bede sat next to her. “Nah,” she replied. “Not everyone’s got as bad a sense of direction as you do, Lee.”

Leon chuckled. “I know, I know.” They sat down next to Piers. “It’s just… you guys are basically my siblings now. I can’t help but worry,” they said as a small blush formed on their cheeks.

“Leon,” Leon’s mother called as she entered the kitchen, “have you offered our guests anything to drink?”

“Oh, right!” Leon exclaimed, perking up. “What do you two want to drink?”

“You got any coffee?” Marnie asked. She knew they’d be sharing the top tier of the wedding cake after lunch, as was a popular first-anniversary tradition, so she wanted coffee to balance out the sweetness.

Leon scratched their chin. “I think we have some cold brew. Is that all right?” When Marnie nodded, Leon turned their attention to Bede. “What about you?”

“Water, please,” Bede replied. He was obviously still recovering from the oppressive heat, having hardly uttered a word since getting in the air-conditioned house.

When Leon got up again to get drinks, Marnie realized that both she and Bede were probably overdressed. Leon was in denim overalls, their hair pulled back in a high ponytail, and Piers was wearing a loose tank top.

 _Better overdressed than underdressed_ , she reminded herself.

“Ya know, I just realized somethin’,” Piers said as Leon poured some cold brew for Marnie. “If our anniversary’s today, that means your anniversary’s tomorrow, don’t it?” Behind her, Marnie could hear Leon’s mother quietly gasp in excitement.

Though Bede was blushing, Marnie proudly put an arm around him. “That’s right,” she replied. “Tomorrow’s our one year.” She was done acting bashful about it. She was in love, dammit, and she wanted people to know!

Leon grinned at them. “Oooh! Are you two doing anything romantic?”

“Isn’t today s’posed to be about you two?” Marnie deflected. The truth was, they didn’t have any plans. They both had challengers tomorrow, so they’d be lucky if they even got to see each other on their anniversary.

Luckily for Marnie, the attention in the room shifted away from her and Bede and this awkward conversation when the door opened. Marnie’s back was to the door, but she heard Hop’s voice.

“Sorry we’re late,” he panted, stumbling through the door. “The flight was delayed.”

Bede turned to look at the door, his brow furrowed in confusion. “We?”

Marnie also turned and looked. “Flight?”

Hop schlepped a large suitcase into the main room of the house, and following closely behind him was a young man no more than six inches shorter than him. The young man had dark-ish skin and green hair that was almost dark enough to look black, pulled back in a loose, stubby ponytail. Marnie also noticed his build – a bit lanky like Hop, but not quite as tall. He also had a baby face, as if he’d never experienced a stressful day in his life.

Upon seeing the man with Hop, Leon called, “Hey! Alola!”

The man beamed in response, waving his arms in the traditional Alolan greeting. “Alola,” he replied. If the greeting weren’t enough, his accent gave him away as an Alolan.

Setting down the suitcase, Hop straightened back up. He put a hand on his companion’s back. “Everyone,” he announced, “I’d like you all to meet Hau, my boyfriend.”

“You’re real?” Bede blurted out.

“Bede!” Marnie exclaimed in response. She may have been thinking the same thing, but she would’ve never _said_ it _out loud._

But Hau laughed it off. “Did you guys think Hop was pulling the whole ‘I have a boyfriend, he just lives in a different country’ routine?”

Marnie and Bede looked at each other, then looked away in embarrassment. They had thought that.

Leon’s mum clicked her tongue happily. “Well, it’s so nice to finally meet you, Hau. Hop’s told me so much about you.”

“Oh, hopefully all good things, right?” Hau joked, and Hop giggled giddily in response. They both seemed absolutely thrilled to even be in the same room as each other. Though Hop was a generally cheerful guy, Marnie had never seen him act quite like that before.

“Of course. All great things,” replied Hop’s mum. “Why don’t you two have a seat? I’m just finishing up making the finger sandwiches for lunch, and after that, I’ve got that top tier of Leon and Piers’s wedding cake that’s been thawing in the fridge.”

As Hop’s mum returned to the kitchen counter to finish prepping lunch, Hau happily sat next to Bede. Hop sat at the end of the table, with Hau on his right and Leon on his left. “So,” Hau started, looking at the couple across the table from him, “you must be Leon and Piers!”

“Yep,” said Leon. Marnie noticed they were holding Piers’s hand under the table.

Piers, gesturing toward Marnie, added, “And this is me sister Marnie, and her boyfriend Bede.”

Wide gray eyes turned their gaze toward Bede, and then to Marnie. Hau was beaming. Marnie understood how he got along with Hop – he seemed just about as enthusiastic as him, maybe even more so. In fact, when Hau looked at Bede, Marnie could see Bede tense up slightly. She knew from experience that Hop sometimes gave friendly, but too-hard shoulder punches, and Bede looked like he was bracing himself for one of those from Hau. He must’ve noticed how similar the two were, too. Hau didn’t make any swings at anyone, though, instead leaning forward and resting an elbow on the table.

“Oh, Hop’s mentioned you two before!” said Hau before addressing Hop. “Aren’t these the ones you said are getting married next?”

Both Marnie and Bede groaned, prompting Piers to laugh out loud and Hop to flash them a fake-innocent grin. Marnie knew this topic would come up at some point today, but she hadn’t expected it to come from someone she’d just met.

When Piers managed to stop laughing, he sighed, “Ah, they bloody hate that question.”

“Yikes,” Hau said, his mouth going from a toothy smile to a thin, firm line. “Sorry, cousin. I didn’t know.”

Marnie grunted. “It’s all right. Hop’s the one who shoulda known better.” She shot him a quick glare that left him mostly unfazed. “We’re only twenty. We’re not in any hurry,” she explained to Hau.

“Oh, come on Marns, it’s just a joke. You know I don’t mean it.” said Hop.

“Marns?” Hau echoed. “Is that your nickname?” he asked Marnie.

Bede, who had been oddly quiet, butted in. “Nobody calls her that. She prefers to just go by Marnie.”

For a moment, the room went silent. Marnie felt uncomfortable that Bede had spoken for her, especially as his tone came across just a little aggressive. She felt like she was the one who had to break the silence, so she elaborated. “Marns is a nickname Hop made up for me,” she explained. “No-one else uses it, but I’m okay with it.” She saw Hop and Leon nod happily at her comment.

Leon’s mum turned around from the kitchen counter with a big tray of little sandwiches. “Lunch is ready!” she sang, setting the tray in the middle of the table.

As they all started to eat, Hau spoke. “Thanks for letting me crash your party, guys. This is really cool! I don’t know a lot about Galarian marriage customs, but…” He leaned toward Hop with a sickeningly loving gaze. “I’d love to go to a Galarian wedding someday. I bet they’re beautiful.”

Piers interrupted Hau’s flirting(?) by asking, “Ya didn’t come all the way here from Alola just for our little get-together, did ya?”

Hau shrugged with a pleasant smile. His eyes had been wide from the moment he entered the house, as if he were experiencing a mystical fantasy world right in front of him. Or maybe he was just naturally that enthusiastic about everything; it was hard to tell. He said, “Kinda, but not really. I just wanted to come visit Hop, and we figured an anniversary party was a decent enough excuse for me to come to Galar.”

“We’ve got a lot planned this week!” Hop added, grabbing Hau’s hand. “We’re gonna go to Motosoke and Hammerlocke, and I’m gonna take him camping in the Slumbering Weald –”

Marnie was already tired just from hearing Hop talk about his plans with his boyfriend.

“Now, Hop,” his mum interrupted. “I know you’re a very capable trainer, but the Slumbering Weald can be very dangerous. You need to keep Hau in mind too.”

“I know, but Hau’s a trainer too. One of the best in Alola, actually!” Hop said, turning an admiring smile toward Hau.

Leon perked up. “You’re a trainer?” they asked Hau.

“I sure am!” Hau replied, flashing a grin that was startlingly like Hop’s.

“Then we should battle!” Leon exclaimed. Marnie didn’t think they meant _right this second_ until she saw them starting to get up from their seat.

Clearing his throat, Piers put a hand on Leon’s shoulder to get them to sit back down. “I’m glad you’re excited, love, but we’re not interruptin’ lunch for a Pokémon battle, all right?”

“All right,” Leon sighed. Focusing their attention back on Hau, a smile returned to their face. “We should battle at some point, though. Hey! Why don’t you talk Hop into taking you to the Battle Tower in Wyndon? I’m the Battle Tower Director, so I can make sure I get to battle you when you come.”

Mid-bite, Hau looked eagerly at Hop, who nodded with equal enthusiasm.

Only together a few months and those two already seemed to communicate more with looks than with words. It was… oddly sweet, even though it made Marnie a little jealous, as it had taken her and Bede almost a full year to be able to read each other at all.

Piers added, “If you two are gonna visit Wyndon, you could stay with us for a night or two.”

Marnie snorted. “Aye, if ya don’t mind hearin’ them bang all night.”

Leon started coughing loudly. They must’ve gasped and inhaled something.

“Marnie!” Piers exclaimed as he tried to soothe Leon. “We do _not_ do that with guests around!”

Over Hau’s snickering, Hop joked, “Don’t worry about it, Piers. Marnie’s just jealous.”

“What?!” Bede shrieked. He stood up, teeth gritted and face bright red. He’d been pretty quiet during the conversation, but Marnie had figured he was just tired and maybe a little uncomfortable. Apparently, she’d been wrong. Bede stared daggers at Hop. “Are you saying I don’t make Marnie happy?” he growled.

Hop spluttered, his golden eyes becoming watery. The room was silent except for Bede’s heavy breathing. Hop’s mum excused herself.

“Bede,” Marnie tried, but he was too riled up. He slammed his fist on the table.

“You dick,” he hissed at Hop before storming out of the house.

After the door slammed behind him, the room was filled with silence. Though Marnie was staring that the door, she felt everyone watching her.

She groaned. This was embarrassing, but she knew what she had to do. Not looking back or saying anything, she got up and walked out the door.

When Marnie stepped outside, Bede was already on the path back towards Wedgehurst, probably to catch the next cab back to Ballonlea. “Bede!” she called, running to catch up. He stopped and turned, looking surprised as if he’d expected Marnie to stay inside and leave him to go back home on his own. “What the hell was that?” she yelled. “You were quiet for the whole party, then ya just exploded outta nowhere!”

“What’s Hop’s problem?” he growled in response. “Does he really think you’d be jealous of your brother’s relationship? How fucked up is that!” His expression softened from anger to a kind of insecure sadness. Marnie recognized that look – it was a rare one, but he’d given her the same look the first time she saw him without a binder. “I mean,” he mumbled, “you are happy with me, right?”

“What? Of course I am!” Marnie replied. “Bede. Hop and I do this kinda thing all the time. He used to give me shite about hangin’ out with you before we got together, and now he likes to joke about us bein’ a couple. His joke may have been inappropriate, but I know him and I know he didn’t mean it like that.”

It was like Bede didn’t even hear what Marnie was saying. “And his boyfriend! I mean, one Hop is bad enough, but Hau is like a second Hop!” he continued.

Marnie stomped. “Are you listenin’ to me?” she cried out. “Look. Hop’s not me favorite person either. But like it or not, he’s Piers’s brother-in-law, and Piers and I don’t have any other family. That means as long as you’re with me, ya gotta put up with Hop and any partners he brings home. Got it?” She narrowed her eyes at Bede, whose mouth hung open like he might say something, but he stayed silent.

They heard the door to Hop’s house open, and when they turned to look, they saw Hop and Hau exiting the house. Each of them carried two plates of white cake – slices of Leon and Piers’s wedding cake.

Hop spotted Bede and Marnie. “Oh, good, you two didn’t leave town!” he sighed, approaching them on the trail to Wedgehurst, with Hau following next to him.

He seemed his usual chipper self, as if Bede hadn’t just yelled at him in front of his family.

“Guys,” Hop said as he stopped in front of them, “I’m really sorry for what I said. I wasn’t thinking.” He offered Bede one of the plates he was holding, and Hau did the same for Marnie.

Accepting the cake and inhaling sharply, Bede managed to say, “No, Hop, I’m sorry. Arceus, Granny would bite my head off if she found out I yelled and stormed off in the middle of a party like that.”

Marnie let out a content sigh. She couldn’t have been prouder of Bede – he apologized and meant it! And to Hop of all people!

Hop smiled. “I guess you and I could probably both use an etiquette lesson from ol’ Opal, couldn’t we?” he joked. “C’mon, let’s go back inside. It’s too hot out here.”

As they all headed back toward the house, Marnie took a bite of her cake. It was just how she remembered it from the wedding – too much sugar and too much fondant. She politely ate it anyway.

Hau tried to strike up a conversation. “Hey Bede,” he said. “Hop told me you live with your grandma. Is that right?”

“Yes it is,” Bede replied. Technically, he was adopted, but he didn’t need to specify. Opal was as real a grandmother as any.

Hau’s face lit up as if that were the best news he’d heard all day. “Hey, that’s awesome! I live with my grandpa back in Alola,” he said. Bede’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Hop said you and I would probably get along, ‘cause we got lots in common!”

 _Do they?_ Marnie thought. They certainly looked like opposites – Bede with his pale skin and short, light hair; Hau with his medium-dark skin and long, dark hair. Not to mention their demeanors. Bede was reserved and could be a little cynical at times, while Hau seemed even more cheerful and agreeable than Hop (if such a thing existed).

After thinking about it for a moment, looking from Hau to Hop to Marnie, Bede smiled and said, “Well, Hop might be right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been able to find any fics where Hop and Hau interact at all, but I think they'd get along super well, so of course I had to make the content myself hehehe. I hope you enjoyed!


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